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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440008">Bound By Silk And By Song</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mira_blue/pseuds/mira_blue'>mira_blue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Awkward Romance, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Denial of Feelings, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Oblivious, One Shot, Reflection, Silksong - Freeform, Spoilers, They Do Not Kiss (Yet), Useless Lesbians</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:20:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440008</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mira_blue/pseuds/mira_blue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hornet could see it. Could almost taste it. The way out of this whole mess. The way back home. </p><p>But glancing back, she could see something else."</p><p>Hornet has to choose between escaping Pharloom or saving Lace. She chooses Lace. There are consequences, not all of them terrible.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hornet/Lace (Hollow Knight)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bound By Silk And By Song</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>these two live in my head rent free</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hornet could see it. Could almost <em>taste</em> it. The way out of this whole mess. The way back <em>home</em>.<br/>
<br/>
But glancing back, she could see something else.<br/>
<br/>
She's clinging to the top of the cavern's walls, and it gives her a perfect view of Lace down below. Lace, who's fighting dozens upon dozens of enemies, enraged by her betrayal. Lace, who's standing her ground but will soon be overwhelmed.<br/>
<br/>
Lace, who had helped Hornet reach this point.</p><p>All Hornet has to do is clamber up a little more and disappear. Then, no more Pharloom, no more running, no more Lace.<br/>
<br/>
It would be the logical move. This might be her only chance to get out. Her pursuers are still far under her, struggling to climb as fast as she had.<br/>
<br/>
Lace gives out a shout of pain and frustration. Even all the way on the top, Hornet hears her.<br/>
<br/>
Cursing Pharloom, cursing this stupid cult, cursing whatever gods forsaken reason has her doing the complete opposite of what she's supposed to, Hornet jumps.<br/>
<br/>
She kicks off the wall, giving herself enough of a boost. She throws her needle towards a crack in the roof and swings. Once she’s high enough in the air, she lets herself fall, yanking her needle back down.</p><p>Hornet lands in a roll, far from the cultists that were trying to grab her. Without even stopping to regain the breath that had been knocked from her, she runs to Lace.</p><p>Lace is too busy fighting for her life to notice Hornet, until Hornet dashes into a line of enemies, skewering them with her needle.</p><p>That’s when Lace notices her.</p><p>She’s stunned enough that she lets her guard down, allowing one of the many enemy bugs to slash their nail into her side.</p><p>Lace cries out in pain, but stays steady on her feet, quickly retaliating by stabbing them in the face. Hornet dives in to the action. There’s a line of enemies between her and Lace, but she does not hesitate in cutting them down.</p><p>Between the two of them, the number of attackers slowly dwindles. But there is still no way to kill them all. Knocking away a masked bug, Hornet makes her way to Lace’s side.</p><p>The instant Hornet is within hearing range, Lace – sounding unusually bewildered – yells, “<em>What </em>are you still here for?”</p><p>Hornet ignores her question, dodges an incoming strike. “We cannot defeat them all! We’re going to have to run.”</p><p>“<em>You </em>were supposed to have run already!”</p><p>Hornet doesn’t reply, instead looking over at the ramps protruding from the cliff’s side. An idea forms in her head. She focuses, trying to summon as much silk as possible in the midst of the chaos.</p><p>Lace – still fighting – notices. “Hornet, <em>what </em>are you doing?”</p><p>Huh. She really must be shocked. She never calls Hornet by her actual name.</p><p>Hornet steps closer to Lace. “I need you to trust me.”</p><p>“Trust you? Now? Right after you <em>ruined </em>our plan and came ba – <em>Hornet!</em>”</p><p>The rest of Lace’s complains are lost to the wind, as Hornet grabs her waist and throws her needle – tied with silk – towards the ramps. They’re far, but her needle reaches, planting itself in them.</p><p>Hornet prays the silk will hold. She prays to her mother, step-mother, even her wretched father. Then she pulls both herself and Lace up.</p><p>For a moment, she doubts it will work. The silk heaves under their combined weights. The ramps seem impossibly distant.</p><p>But somehow, they make it. Their landing isn’t a graceful one and it’s a miracle neither of them gets accidently stabbed by the other’s weapon, seeing as how they’ve both landed on top of each other.</p><p>Hornet pulls herself up and Lace follows suit. Although they now have a head start, they still aren’t safe. Already, the cult is coming their way.</p><p>“We need to get out of here,” Hornet says. “Can you run?”</p><p>Lace frowns at her wounds, but nods. “I know where we can go.”</p><p>Without further explanation, she grabs Hornet’s hand, and they run.</p><p>***</p><p>There is no chance for Hornet to ask Lace where they’re going, so she focuses on getting away. Exhaustion is beginning to nag at her, and Lace isn’t faring any better, especially with her still bleeding wounds. But they both know better than to slow down.</p><p>For some strange reason, though, Lace does not let go of Hornet’s hand.</p><p>It’s not like that bothers Hornet. They’re, more or less, as fast as each other, so no one is being dragged. Still, it’s strange.</p><p>Eventually, they stop running and begin walking, weapons in their unoccupied hands. At this point, Hornet recognizes where the route Lace is taking leads.</p><p>A large, elaborate staircase greets them as Lace pushes aside the vines hiding it. Hornet pauses at the first few steps, remembering the first time she’d come here.</p><p>It had been, ironically, to battle Lace once again.</p><p>They climb up in silence, and halfway through, they let go of each other’s hands. Oddly, it feels like a loss.</p><p>The stairs end and they enter the familiar, rose-covered arena. The lights are dimmed.</p><p>Lace immediately sits down, inspecting her wounds. Hornet kneels beside her, but before she can offer to help, Lace says, “Care to explain your lapse in judgement, little spider?”</p><p>Hornet frowns and stands up again, clutching her needle. “There’s nothing to explain.”</p><p>Lace laughs. “Truly? Forgive me for being confused as to why you decided to <em>not </em>escape, instead jumping back into the clutches of your enemies. It seemed like a rather ridiculous decision, and up until now you didn’t seem like a rather ridiculous person.” </p><p>Hornet shifts on her feet. “Well, forgive <em>me </em>for not leaving you behind to die. Our plan was for the both of us to get out alive.”</p><p>“I was not about to die.”</p><p>Scoffing, Hornet says, “Yes, and I was not about to escape. Face it, Lace. You could not have escaped had I not intervened.”</p><p>“And since when would that have mattered to you?”</p><p>Hornet blinks. Since...when? Since when had it become that she could not leave Lace behind? She’d actively tried to <em>kill </em>Lace at the start. <em>Multiple </em>times! Lace hadn’t been any nicer, except for the fact that she would occasionally compliment Hornet mid-fight. It had been annoying. And a bit confusing.</p><p>But then...Hornet had gotten injured. Badly. She’d slipped up and been caught up with. Her enemies had gotten too close to killing her. She’d fought her way out, but before long, she was forced to drag herself into a corner to hide.</p><p>Where, of course, Lace found her.</p><p>By then, Hornet had been so, so tired. A part of her was even homesick. Hallownest needed her, but she kept failing to return. Every corner she turned to had more foes than friends. And now she was broken and bleeding, all alone and far from home.</p><p>So when Lace whipped out her pin and placed the tip under Hornet’s chin, the only thing Hornet did was glare at her, and wait.</p><p>But Lace did not act. Her weapon stayed where it was, a threat but not an end. She stared at Hornet. Hornet glared back.</p><p>Lace ended up pulling her weapon back, kicking the dirt, and leaving. Hornet passed out shortly after.</p><p>When she awoke, she found bandages by her side.</p><p>And so it had begun. Hornet pretended not to know who was leaving her food and supplies as she healed. Lace pretended not to notice the way structures around Pharloom began to get patched up by silk.</p><p>They could’ve stayed out of each other’s way, for all Hornet cared.</p><p>But, one day, as Hornet was cleaning her needle next to a rushing stream, Lace had approached her.</p><p>It had instantly set Hornet on edge, but Lace raised her hands, her pin unseen. She slowly walked up to Hornet, sat next to her, then said, “There are stones around here that could sharpen your blade.”</p><p>Hornet had thrown dirt in her face and ran.</p><p>Needless to say, it took them a long time to build up any trust between each other. But slowly – <em>slowly </em>– they did. They helped each other when needed. They hunted together. They began trying to discover the cause of Pharloom’s affliction, sharing what information they knew.</p><p>And then Lace had found a way for Hornet to escape.</p><p>Thus started their planning. Hornet was suspicious about Lace’s motives for helping her, but Lace claimed that it would be easier to ignore the temptation to fight Hornet if she wasn’t there.</p><p>So they planned. It took them a long time to figure out the best course of action, the best time to act. Lace had to infiltrate the cult, putting herself in more danger.</p><p>And somewhere during all those months, Lace turned from Hornet’s rival, to Hornet’s thorn in her side, to Hornet’s companion, and then – maybe – Hornet’s friend.</p><p>Now, here they were, and their plan had failed. If anything, things had probably gotten worse. They’d come so close, managed to get past all the defences, all the obstacles. Hornet had seen the light of freedom. But.</p><p>“You dying was not part of the plan. I am not a fool; I know this was not a cause you would sacrifice yourself for.” </p><p>Lace crosses her arms. “What do you think I’d sacrifice myself for?”</p><p>Hornet sighs, sitting down across from Lace. “Nothing, really. You do not care for anything that much.”</p><p>She might be imagining it, but a glimmer of hurt flashes across Lace’s features. “Do you?”</p><p>Hornet thinks back to all the years she’d spent protecting the ruins of Hallownest. The way she’d screamed for her mother when she’d begun Dreaming. Her siblings. Jumping away from the promise of safety.</p><p>“Yes,” she says. “I do.”</p><p>Lace does not say anything to that. She begins attending to her wounds once again, and this time, Hornet offers to help.</p><p>“Here,” Hornet shuffles closer. “Let me. It’ll be quicker.”</p><p>“Always the hero,” Lace mutters, but allows Hornet to heal her.</p><p>Hornet focuses, and Lace’s wounds begin to close. Just before she is fully healed, Lace bursts out, “You know – I...I may not want to sacrifice myself but...I care about you, spider.”</p><p>Focus faltering, Hornet looks up at Lace. “You...do?”</p><p>“I didn’t, at first. I would’ve gladly decapitated you. But I would not have made myself a part of this plan had I not – well, respected you, at least.”</p><p>“I guess not.”</p><p>“And you would not have returned for me had you not felt the same.”</p><p>Hornet averts her gaze, focusing again on healing. “You do not know how I feel.”</p><p>“Perhaps I don’t. But I know that whether you like it or not, you and I are bound together, by silk and by song.”</p><p>Hornet finishes healing Lace, and stands up. “Whatever you say, Lace. I’m going to take first watch.”</p><p>Lace laughs softly. “If anyone finds us, they will have no trouble dispatching you. You need to rest too, Hornet.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine.”</p><p>“If you will not rest, neither will I. Then we will both be tired, and both dead.”</p><p>Hornet rubs her head. Gods, why had she gotten stuck with someone just as stubborn as her?</p><p>Relenting, she lies down next to Lace, who gives her a satisfied smirk before rolling over to the other side. And despite her protests, Hornet quickly finds herself giving in to the obliviousness of sleep.</p><p>Lace’s words echo in her head before she loses all conscious thought.</p><p><em>Bound together, by silk and by song</em>.</p>
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